Title: Exploring national diversity and identity regulation: managerial discourses and material practices in a transnational company

Authors: Mario Pezzillo Iacono; Vincenza Esposito; Lucia Silvestri; Marcello Martinez; Luigi Moschera

Addresses: Dipartimento di Economia, Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli, Corso Gran Priorato di Malta, 81043 Capua (CE), Italy ' Dipartimento di Diritto, Economia, Management e Metodi quantitativi (DEMM), Università degli Studi del Sannio, Via delle Puglie, 82, 82100, Benevento, Italy ' Dipartimento di Diritto, Economia, Management e Metodi quantitativi (DEMM), Università degli Studi del Sannio, Via delle Puglie, 82, 82100, Benevento, Italy ' Dipartimento di Economia, Seconda Università degli Studi di Napoli, Corso Gran Priorato di Malta, 81043, Capua (CE), Italy ' Dipartimento di Studi Aziendali ed Economici, Università degli Studi di Napoli Parthenope, Via Generale Parisi, 13, 80132 Napoli, Italy

Abstract: The paper sets out to interpret the concept of national and linguistic identity/diversity in the perspective of organisational power and control, by analysing both the managerial discourses and the material practices. We particularly intend to examine how the management of national diversity comprises a means for shaping the perception of collective identities and regulating the organisational behaviours of minority groups. For this purpose, a case study of a large Italian-French company is discussed: the analysis is based on a qualitative investigation conducted in terms of grounded theory. We further show how such managerial language and practices model and form individual and collective identity, reinforcing the establishment of precise criteria of inclusion and exclusion from the organisational life. The dominating group tries to affect the sense of group identity/diversity in order to establish models of action with a view to maintaining the status quo. In this respect the discourse and praxis of diversity management are seen as a mechanism of catalysis acting on national differences serving to reinforce the collective identity building processes and enhance the existing power relations.

Keywords: national diversity; organisational control; critical management studies; CMS; political relations; identity regulation; transnational companies; organisational power; diversity management; France; Italy; group identity; grounded theory; managerial language; managerial practices; collective identity.

DOI: 10.1504/EJCCM.2014.065161

European Journal of Cross-Cultural Competence and Management, 2014 Vol.3 No.2, pp.118 - 135

Received: 05 Feb 2013
Accepted: 14 Jan 2014
Published online: 24 Oct 2014 *

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